Due to an increasing demand for technology that is both electrically efficient and environmentally responsible, there exists a need to develop technologies that address the cooling of environments such as Data Centers or other IT operations, thermal stress test chamber, or a Logistical Delivery Transport truck. In refrigerated trucks or trailers which commonly transport sensitive food products, refrigeration failure can be costly in terms of food spoilage and business disruption. Excursions in temperature or outright failure may be catastrophic in the biomedical field. For example, the destruction of a limited supply of special vaccine, stored under very low temperature for emergency protection of the general public, is highly undesirable.
These trucks typically require extra energy to support different sub-systems on the truck, such as electronics for monitoring of refrigerator operation, spoilage control, GPS tracking and others.
For example, in reefer containers, computers precisely control temperatures throughout transit. The microprocessor-based control units allow for accuracy within +/−0.4° F. (+/−0.25° C.) of the temperature's set point for chilled commodities. For frozen commodities, the advanced refrigeration systems can maintain subzero ° F. in all environments encountered in international trade.
Self-diagnostic units with the latest microprocessor controller are designed to record transit temperatures and equipment performance every hour, and retain historic data in memory for a minimum of one year. The reefer microprocessor data recorder will also monitor all the four temperature sensors that include two supply-air and two return-air sensors, as well as any changes or events that might occur during transit. The electronic data recorder will continue to record temperature readings using a backup battery even when reefers are unplugged in the event of port transshipment.
Conventional trucks use a gas powered electric generator onboard the truck. However, such gas powered electric generator pollutes the environment and needs periodic refueling, which can be a hassle for the drivers. If the gas powered generator runs out of gas, drastic problems can occur for items transported by the reefer.
Given recent trends to be environmentally responsible with the use of electrical power and to reduce the carbon footprint of vehicular operations, other forms of electrical energy generation for the reefer trucks are needed.